Earthworms are an important driver of global food production, providing approximately 6.5% of the world’s grain crops and 2.3% of the world’s legumes produced annually.
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Earthworms can account for up to 140 million tons of food produced annually—about the same amount grown annually by Russia, the world’s fourth-largest grain producer. This is evidenced by the results of a new study by scientists from the University of Colorado (USA), reports Phys.org.
It is noted that earthworms contribute to crops in the following ways:
- help create healthy soils by supporting plant growth – provide good soil structure, promote water uptake and beneficial mixing of organic matter, making nutrients more available to plants;
- may promote the production of hormones that stimulate plant growth and help plants defend against common soil pathogens.
According to some estimates, earthworms can increase overall plant productivity by about 25%, the article notes.
The study found that earthworms had a more significant impact on grain production in the so-called “global south”, in particular:
- 10% of grain harvest in sub-Saharan Africa;
- 8% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Earthworms likely contributed more to these areas, the researchers note, because farmers there tend to have less access to fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, they rely more on earthworm-rich organic matter such as manure and crop residues.
At the same time, the scientists note that they are not calling for earthworms to be moved to places where they don’t already exist – they primarily hope that their research will show that improved management of soil biology in places where earthworms already exist has the potential to increasing productivity. agriculture and reducing our dependence on agrochemicals.
Source: Phys.org
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I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.